Divisions of Chemical Industry
The chemistry industry is broadly divided into ten major types:
- Heavy Chemicals
These are chemicals that are produced in large quantities with little amount of purity. They are usually needed for industrial purposes. Examples are: Ammonia, bleaching powder, Sodium hydroxide, Calcium hydroxide, Calcium carbonate, e.t.c.
- Fine Chemicals:
These are chemicals produced in small quantities. These chemicals are also produced to a high degree of purity. Examples include: dyes,analytical agents like silver nitrare, drugs, perfumes, additives, pigments for paints.
- Fertilizers:
The fertilizer industry is a significant sector within the chemical industry, producing essential nutrients for agricultural crops. Fertilizers are manufactured through chemical processes, using raw materials like natural gas, ammonia, phosphoric acid, and potash.
Nitrogenous (e.g., ammonia, urea), phosphatic (e.g., diammonium phosphate), and potassic (e.g., potassium chloride) fertilizers promote crop nutrition, soil enhancement, and plant growth promotion.
- Ceramics:
Ceramics is a significant sector within the chemical industry, involving the production of inorganic, non-metallic materials.
Raw materials include silicates, oxides, and other minerals, which are processed using chemical reactions and high-temperature transformations.
Ceramic products have unique properties, such as hardness, corrosion resistance, and electrical insulation.
- Glass:
Glass is a chemical industry that involves the thermal fusion of raw materials like silica sand, soda ash, and limestone at high temperatures to produce an amorphous, inorganic solid with unique properties, such as transparency, durability, and resistance to corrosion, with various applications in packaging (bottles, jars), construction (windows, fiberglass), electronics (display screens, semiconductors), and other industries, requiring precise control of chemical composition and processing conditions to achieve desired characteristics.
- Paints:
Paints is a chemical industry that involves the formulation and manufacturing of coatings using a mixture of chemical substances, including pigments, binders, solvents, and additives, to produce a wide range of products with various properties and applications, such as decorative paints for buildings, industrial coatings for corrosion protection.
- Pharmaceuticals:
Pharmaceuticals is a chemical industry that involves the research, development, and manufacturing of medicinal products using chemical compounds, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients, to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, requiring expertise in organic chemistry, pharmacology, and drug formulation to create a wide range of products, such as tablets, capsules, injectables, and vaccines, that meet stringent regulatory standards for safety, efficacy, and quality.
- Plastics:
Plastics is a chemical industry that involves the production of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids through polymerization reactions, using raw materials like petrochemicals, natural gas, and biomass, to create a vast array of materials with unique properties and applications.
Plastics are used in various forms, including thermoplastics, thermosets, and elastomers, in products such as packaging materials, automotive components, medical devices, textiles, and construction materials.
Ethene (also known as ethylene) is a a major raw material in plastic production . Ethene is a petrochemical derived from oil and natural gas, and it's used as a building block to produce various plastics, such as:
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- Polypropylene (PP)
Ethene is produced through the cracking of ethane, propane, or butane, which involves breaking down these molecules into smaller ones. The resulting ethene is then used as a feedstock for plastic production.
Plastics are divided into: thermosetting plastics which are rigid and cannot be melted e.g bakelite and thermoplastic plastics which are flexible and can be melted and reformed e.g PVC.
- Metallurgy:
Metallurgy is a chemical industry that involves the extraction, refining, and processing of metals from ores.
It also involves the extraction of minerals, and scrap materials, using chemical reactions, thermal processes, and electrochemical techniques to produce pure metals, alloys, and metal products, such as steel, aluminum, copper, and titanium, which are essential for various applications in construction, transportation, electronics, and consumer goods, requiring expertise in inorganic chemistry, materials science, and process engineering to develop innovative and sustainable metal production technologies.
- Soaps and detergents:
Soaps and detergents is a chemical industry that involves the production of cleaning agents using a combination of chemical reactions, such as saponification, sulfonation, and ethoxylation, to convert raw materials like oils, fats, and petroleum-based feedstocks into surfactants, foaming agents, and other additives, resulting in a wide range of products, including laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids, personal care products.